In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks can be classified according to geographic scope, which may be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks may be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g., circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g., wired vs. wireless), and the set of communication protocols used (e.g., Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
The devices in a wireless network can transmit/receive information between each other. The information can comprise all or a portion of one or more media access control (e.g., MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs). The MPDUs can comprise packets, frames, segments, messages, etc., which in some aspects can be referred to as data units, data packets, and/or data frames. The data units, data packets, and/or data frames can be aggregated. The MPDUs can further include overhead information (e.g., header information, packet properties, etc.) that may help in routing the MPDU through the network, identifying the data in the MPDU, securing the data in the MPDU, processing the MPDU, etc. The MPDUs can also include data, for example, user data, multimedia content, etc., as might be carried in a payload of the MPDU.
Accordingly, the header information is transmitted with MPDUs. Such header information can comprise different information for complying with communications in different protocol versions. Header information in some protocol versions may not be compatible with header information in other protocol versions. Thus, improved systems, methods, and devices for secure communications are desired.